In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Thomas Curd, then 31, was sentenced to life (Not life at all, but 20 years) in prison for the vile and brutal murder of 22-month-old Eve Leatherland. Curd, the partner of the child’s mother, repeatedly attacked the toddler at their home in Liskeard, Cornwall, inflicting injuries so horrific that they were compared to those sustained in a high-speed car crash. After fracturing her skull and ribs, the sickening predator administered a fatal dose of codeine to the child—enough to kill an adult—in a deplorable attempt to mask her screams and hide his crimes.
The investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police revealed the horrendous extent of the abuse. Eve suffered 12 separate fractures to her ribs and skull, some of which were “re-fractures” where bones had been broken again during the healing process. A post-mortem examination also uncovered a ruptured liver and a torn mesentery, caused by blunt force trauma that pushed her internal organs against her spine. While the child lay dying, Thomas Curd and Abigail Leatherland were reported to have spent their time playing video games, watching TV, and chatting on Facebook just feet away from her.
Abigail Leatherland, then 26, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child. The court heard that by the time she finally called 999, Eve had been dead for several hours and rigor mortis had already set in. Medical experts testified that the child likely would have survived had the pair sought help sooner. Judge Juliet May described the case as particularly tragic, noting the vile neglect shown by both adults. Leatherland’s defence that she believed the child had a “viral infection” was rejected by the jury as an inconceivable excuse, given the visible bruising and the child’s deteriorating state.
As a result of his conviction for murder, Thomas Curd was jailed for life on March 29, 2019, and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years behind bars. Abigail Leatherland was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for her part in the horrific neglect. Curd is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by the prison service and Devon and Cornwall Police, and he will remain on the Sex Offenders Register if applicable to his specific licensing, though primarily he remains a high-risk violent offender. Any breach of his life license following his eventual release will result in an immediate return to custody.
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